This is Not an Atlas shines a flashlight on some of the world’s murkiest signage and branding. (Could any storefront sign effectively represent Kebab World?) But its spare layout, set in a minimalist Gill Sans, provides a deadpan tonic for the puffery of, say, Denture World – a gaudy, miserable shotgun storefront in Reading, England – without ever letting the savvier-than-thou design criticism interfere with their world of fun.” – Print Magazine

THERE ARE A LOT of Worlds in the world. It seems that many countries have them. Here then is a collection of photographs of these Worlds, each one a storefront. They were collected from many different countries, by two people over a five year period.

Rules applied to the taking of the photographs in this book. Worlds had to be spotted and then photographed off-the-cuff, or on-the-hoof. Pass by a wonderful new World in the bus, pull out your camera and quickly shoot a picture of it and never go back. Miss the chance due to no camera, no film or no energy, never go back. The Worlds are transient, yet we have all seen them, and they are everywhere. This personal selection of Worlds of the world captures the amusement, promise and banality of this frequently used name.

Spontaneity is the key rule; the collection of the image the key motivation, mixed with just a little bit of obsession. The result is counter-cultural, so hopelessly and amateurishly unaesthetic, and so typographically wrong, that it sets new standards of aesthetics. Curiously and inexplicably attractive, the images in this book are sure to engage and amuse you.

Extensively illustrated in color

Warren Hutchinson & Nick Foster are graphic designers in England with a passion for collecting Worlds around the world.